What do thin/slim people eat?

[cherrypiepie]

I'm genuinely intrigued as I am far from slim with a BMI of 30.

Watching an American series with some very tiny actresses and thinking that they can't eat much. It was the Bold Type.

So if you are slim with BMI around 20 what do you eat?

And I suppose how much do you exercise? But I reckon the old rule of 80% diet : 20 % exercise is right when It comes to weight management.

I’ve been both BMI 20 and BMI 30. At BMI 20 I’d eat 2-3 normal size meals, with very little processed foods and no snacking in between meals. I never had cravings or felt like I couldn’t control my eating. At BMI 30 I’d still eat the same kind of meals but constant grazing on sugary, high carb snacks throughout the day. A lot of cravings and emotional eating. So a much higher calorie intake and also constant spiking of blood sugar. I wasn’t a huge fan of exercise at either size so my weight was entirely down to my food intake. If I need to lose weight I’d always turn to intermittent fasting to gain control over my eating.

NOT A LOT!!

Healthy BMI here. Maybe 21? But fairly recently postpartum. Musli/toast/porridge for breakfast, soup/salad/toastie for lunch. Dinner will be veg based with carb - rice, pasta, potato. Snack a bit but not much. Cook the vast majority of food from scratch - general base meals around veg.

I eat chocolate with abandon but that’s to fuel breastfeeding and will curb it when she’s weaned… I also have a glass of wine more often than is probably ideal.

Do some exercise but nowhere near my fittest at the moment. But I move quite a bit, eg I would never dream of getting in the car to go anything less than a mile - if it’s walkable I walk it.

Agree with PPs - I have zero emotional attachment to food. I LOVE food and cooking but it’s not a reward - there’s no good or bad involved. Also was brought up eating real food, not processed crap, so that’s what tastes good to me.

@toocold54

All my naturally slim friends eat loads and I always think there has got to be something in that. I know genetics play a big part but I believe dieting is what makes/keeps people overweight - we cut out food groups which feed our gut bacteria, deprive ourselves so we crave junk more and emotionally eat, cut calories too much so our metabolism slows down and then when we eat more good is stored as fat etc. I myself am in a constant cycle of dieting which seems never ending. I think if I were to just eat normally then I’d be a healthy weight but it’s hard to do that.

Yes yes yes.

Everyone I know who struggles with weight has yo-yo dieted.

There isn’t one way to be slim. I absolutely love food and cooking. For me, staying slim is easiest being a veggie who eats mostly vegetables. I measure carbs to make sure I’m eating sensible portions, I think about snacks so I’m not eating too many and also exercise a lot. Weighing once a week helps to spot if I need to be a bit more careful if I’ve crept up a bit.

I’m also slim and have weighed the same since I was about 20. I eat normal food but don’t finish my plate if I’m full. And I also don’t eat snacks. Sometimes a bit of fruit or a packet of crisps. But I wouldn’t have loads of snacks like chocolate or a huge bag of crisps. I really hate the feeling of being too full. It makes me feel sick and then ruins the meal. I don’t have an emotional relationship with food either. I love eating but don’t comfort eat and don’t think of any foods as naughty. Or give myself a treat coz I deserve it. If I want an icecream from the van, I don’t feel the need to justify it like some people need to. I just have it. Or not if I don’t fancy it.

My husband is underweight with a BMI of 15 and he eats the biggest load of rubbish imaginable - chocolate bars, biscuits, cake. But he eats them really slowly It takes him about 30 minutes to eat a Mars Bar. I can polish one off in 30 seconds, which probably explains why I am overweight.

My bmi is around 23. I have coffee for breakfast, Melba toast and roughly 30g cheddar for lunch with chili jam, or pitta and houmous. Every single day. Snack on fruit, the odd packet of snack a jack type things and a regular dinner, pasta or chicken and jacket potato etc.
I exercise 6x a week. I have been up to 3.5 stone heavier.

BMI of 20 usually (currently 40wks pregnant so god knows what it is now). I eat what I want, lots of pasta and carbs, but I stop when I'm full regardless of what's left on my plate. I love a snack but a lot of it is fruit. I aim to walk somewhere every day, though that is as much for the mental headspace as the physical benefit.

Aged 60 here, low end of normal, always have been, though I did put weight on during lockdown (who didn't, lol). I've lost most of that now.
I never eat breakfast, unless I'm away in a hotel, then I go all out. I rarely eat lunch, might grab a banana or orange if I think of it. I always have a decent dinner, and pudding is usually a bowl of cinnamon cereal with Jersey gold top milk. I have a biscuit with my drink at bedtime and in the morning.
However, I'm quite partial to my mil's home made biscuits and can demolish half a dozen easily. Plus I love chocolate, crisps and cheese, but generally I'll have one of them, not all three at once! Dh and I regularly share a big bag of Maltesers or M and Ms on a Saturday. But, and I think it makes a difference, I don't drink alcohol at all as I don't like it.
My children are the same, low end of normal, always have been so I think genetics plays a big part.

I'm late 50s and my bmi is still 21.4

I eat home cooked foods. This week so far;

Salmon tray bake with potatoes, broccoli, tomatoes, olives and garlic
Lamb burger grilled with minted potatoes and sugar snaps
Sausages with lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, and wholemeal bread and butter.

Lunch is home made veggie soup or cheese & pickles.

I don't generally drink alcohol or anything fizzy/sweet, I avoid processed foods, sauces and puddings. I don't count calories (too boring) and I run 5k twice a week. My vice is chocolate biscuits

Replies on here seem to be roughly in two camps.

a) I eat what I like but less than a fat person.
b) I weigh everything / count calories/ never eat x,y or z / artificially limit food by following a permanent diet.

Oh and I forgot, I rarely drive anywhere, walk miles each week and my job is a standing job, no sitting down.

BMI 20/21. Similar to pp. I’ll have porridge with sultanas/blueberries then usually skip lunch when I’m working as don’t really get hungry for it. Will have an oat bar/fruit instead. Then evening meal. Don’t really snack in the evenings. Will have chocolate on a weekend and not a big drinker so maybe 1-2 gins a week. I run and enjoy being outside and I’m generally fairly active so move around a lot.

In my experience theres 2 camps

The naturally slim, who are naturally slim because they just aren't that into food. They will just have a sandwich for lunch and probably skip breakfast. In my experience they will eat an entire chocolate bar or bag of sweets but will naturally just not eat that much

Then theres those that aren't and have a very restrictive diet to maintain their figure. Salad with no dressing everyday for lunch, salmon and rice type stuff for dinner. Will feel guilty for having a naughty treat

I used to have a BMI of 18 for many years and tbh I was just unhappy. I would praise myself for skipping meals and tell myself I just wasn't into food. In reality I was consumed by maintaining my weight. Food is good, and whilst being overweight isn't ideal you've got to balance the joy food can give you with health. If you have to work incredibly hard to maintain a low BMI then is it worth the loss of food and enjoyment in your life just for that BMI. Now my weight is more 23/24 and I'm a lot happier.

I used to be naturally slim but now prone to overweight if I'm not careful. I am vegan and eat a lot of veg, protein, not many carbs with meals. I walk about 5 miles a day and then treat myself to chocolate as I've got a sweet tooth. My bmi is 20.

Whatever I want and other than walking the dogs twice a day I don't exercise either really anymore.

I eat lunch and dinner. Whatever I want for those meals but no snacks at all and zero calories drinks (other than some wine as "pudding").

I've a BMI of 20.
I intermittent fast, 16hrs off, 8 hrs on. I don't have a sweet tooth, never had, so cakes, biscuits, chocolate etc don't interest me. My Achilles heel are crisps. I only eat when hungry and I eat small portions.
I work out 4 times a week at the gym and walk at least 3 miles on my days off.

5ft7 8 stone (50kg) for the last 30 years (except when pregnant with the 4 kids).
Eat absolutely what I want when I want. No restrictions at all. Eat Chinese, Indian kebabs etc prob once a week. Do have chocolate and yes eat the whole bar (what’s the point in opening it otherwise???)
Try to have 4-5 meals a week with less/no meat though.
Should eat more fruit/veg
Like puddings
Will have cereal for breakfast, sandwich for lunch and big main meal at 1700 plus snacks when kids in bed at 1900.
Have switched from cows milk to oatly last couple of years and tried to cut down on cows milk cheeses.
Don’t exercise at all except walk to and from work (15 mins walk) twice a week

I agree with a lot of the pp. I loose my appetite when stressed or anxious. I wllove foodcand eat 3c meals a day - I loosely try to have healthy breakfasts/lunches and whatever for dinner (usually from scratch but sometimes will be a chicken kiev & chips type of dinner)

I dont often have seconds and never feel like snacking apart from fruit.

I genuinely enjoy healthy food, and I guess I'm disaplined in that I try to save chocolate & wine for the weekend.

I had no idea of mine but just checked and it's between 20 and 21. I'm the wrong side of 45 in terms of age!
I have no emotional attachment to food at all. I eat to stay alive, that's it. I don't exercise.
I eat what I want when I want and I enjoy nice food but only really eat when hungry and rarely eat until very full. I also lose my appetite when stressed.

Bmi 21. Size 10.

No breakfast, only green tea or water before lunchtime. ( intermittent fasting)

Lunch is a big pile of roasted veg with pesto / feta / hummous or similar.

Normal family food for dinner, spag Bol, roast etc.

Couple of squares of choc every day, some days a proper pudding.

I drink alcohol maybe 2 nights a week, eat pizza / junk food maybe once a week.
I exercise for half an hour 4 mornings a week, either a 5k fun / hiit/ weights .

It seems to work and doesn't feel too restrictive. Basically be good at breakfast / lunch and cut some slack in the evening.

BMI of 20 or thereabouts and I try to get my five fruit and veg in a day, eat a mix of carbs/fat/protein each meal and portion control rather than calorie count but it amounts to the same thing (I.e I weigh out my oats for breakfast or potato’s/pasta for dinner).

Breakfast will normally be porridge/overnight oats/Muesli with berries or another fruit and often Greek yogurt or nuts.

Lunch might be some bread and cheese alongside a veg soup or salad.

Dinner I make sure to include at least two (if not more) veg in dinner and cook most nights from scratch. I would share a pizza with my husband but have a salad on the side.

Will have a biscuit or a few squares of chocolate for pudding most days.

I drink lots of tea/coffee but not much in the way of fizzy drinks, alcohol or squash especially during the week.

@MikeHat

Replies on here seem to be roughly in two camps.

a) I eat what I like but less than a fat person.
b) I weigh everything / count calories/ never eat x,y or z / artificially limit food by following a permanent diet.

Disagree with b. I’m slim.. never on a permanent diet - I think that’s a weird comment